He appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from prison. It was the first time he had appeared since being recalled to prison in February.

In an unusual move, he could be seen only by the judge hearing the case.

He and his friend Robert Thompson were ten when they killed two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

They abducted him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, tortured and murdered him.

They were given life sentences but were released on licence in 2001 after being given new identities, which were protected from being made public.

Nothing was known about their new lives until the police investigation into the downloaded images.

Details of why Venables was recalled to prison were banned from being published after a High Court injunction was made on 21 May.

However, it was lifted by Mr Justice Bean on 21 June after an application by the media.

A representative of the UK's Director of Public Prosecutions revealed the charges, which at the time involved 57 downloaded indecent photographs of children and distributing six indecent films and one photograph.

Gavin Millar QC said there was no evidence that anyone else had accessed the pornography through Venables' actions, but he had 'exposed them to acquisition'.